Create a Magical Miniature Garden

Big interest in little gardens

Fairy gardens—a new take on an old favorite, the terrarium—are tiny worlds complete with miniature furnishings, fairy-scale plants and plenty of mystique.

Just a touch of inspiration, a cute container, some plants and a few accessories are all it takes to get the magic of a fairy garden growing. Click through the next slides for some tips on starting a fairy garden similar to the one shown here, made by the Garden Barn of Indianola, Iowa.

Plants in the basket include a violet (Viola) at the front left, plumed asparagus, ivy, tiny ajuga and grasslike Armeria.

Just the right size

An old drawer is a perfect fit for this fairy garden, with its tiny birdhouse and birdbath, garden chairs, watering can and pretty arch.

Plants in this garden include thyme spilling out of the front left corner, 'Chocolate Chip' ajuga behind the thyme and variegated boxwood in the back left corner. Wire vine forms the arch in the middle, and a dwarf Chamaecyparis makes an evergreen mound in the back right corner.

Whimsical treasures

This container, made at a mother-daughter fairy garden class, holds tiny handmade accessories such as a bridge and wheelbarrow made from craft sticks. Plants include sweet alyssum, tufts of Scotch moss and a blue-flowered lobelia.

Fairy gardens should have a hint of whimsy. Use seashells as birdbaths; place a pretty marble on a golf tee to represent a gazing ball. Buttons or bottle caps make fanciful stepping-stones.

Tree stump garden

This small-scale garden features Bacopa 'Snowstorm' and Nemesia 'Blue Bird' planted in a hollow tree stump. A little woodland dwelling surrounded by a white picket fence provides a fanciful home for the fairy.

Creative castle

This garden highlights a stone castle almost as sturdy as its full-size counterpart. Creative crafts lovers might be able to build their own castles; otherwise, check fairy garden specialty websites for intricate accessories such as this.